U.S. Ambassador to Panama Resigns, Citing Trump Policies

The U.S. ambassador to Panama has resigned, saying that he no longer felt able to serve President Donald Trump.

John Feeley, 56, who worked at the State Department for nearly 30 years, announced his resignation in a letter to the State Department.

“As a junior foreign service officer, I signed an oath to serve faithfully the president and his administration in an apolitical fashion, even when I might not agree with certain policies,” he wrote, in a letter obtained by Reuters.

“My instructors made clear that if I believed I could not do that, I would be honor bound to resign,” Feeley continued. “That time has come.”

Feeley is the first ambassador to resign over concerns about Trump’s policies and leadership.

His resignation was made public hours after Trump’s comments on “sh*thole” countries were made public, but a senior State Department official told The Telegraph that Feeley’s decision was made before the remarks.

“Ambassador Feeley informed leadership of his decision on December 27, 2017,” the State Department said. The spokesman added that the deputy chief of mission, Roxanne Cabral, will assume leadership of the diplomatic mission until a new ambassador arrives.

The State Department said that Feeley “has informed the White House, the Department of State, and the Government of Panama of his decision to retire for personal reasons, as of March 9 of this year.”

Feeley’s resignation from the State Department is another indication of Trump’s chaotic state department, led by Rex Tillerson, who refused to deny calling Trump a “f**king moron.”